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A.Word.A.Day--biennial

biennial (bi-EN-ee-uhl) adjective

1. Happening every two years.

2. Lasting two years.

3. Taking two years to complete its life cycle.

noun

1. An event occurring once in two years.

2. A plant that takes two years to complete its life cycle, such as beet and carrot.

[From biennium (a two-year period), from Latin bi- (two) + annus (year).]

"Qatar is known nowadays chiefly as home of al-Jazeera, Osama bin Laden's favourite television station. But next weekend the Gulf state will host hundreds of trade ministers and officials at the biennial meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO)." A Deal at Doha?, The Economist (London), Nov 3, 2001.

This week's theme: words that appear misspelling of everyday words.

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